Turbine.



G. DE LAVAL & E E. P. FAGERSTRUM.

TURBINE.

-APPLIOATION FILED JUNE 16, 1910.

Patented Mar. 14,1911.

0., wAsumormv, 0. c4

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GUSTAF DE LAVAL AND ERNST ELIS FRIDOLF FAGERSTR' M, OF STOCKHOLM, SWEDEN.

TURBINE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed June 16, 1910.

Patented Mar. 14, 1911.

Serial No. 567,262.

It has heretofore been proposed to provide turbines with oppositely directed sets of vanes on each wheel, of which one set is operative while the main shaft is rotating in:

one direction and the other set is operative while the main shaft is rotating in the otherj direction, and to provide each set of vanes with a correspondingly directed admission nozzle, a valve being provided to supply the actuating pressure fluid through either nozzle to either set of vanes accordingly as the mam shaft is required to rotate in one or the other direction. With such arrangements however it has been usual to employ a number of vane wheels arranged on one shaft and contained either in a single casing or cylinder, or in separate casings or cylinders, and to pass the steam through these vane wheels successively, allowing the steam to expand by degrees or in stages as it passes from one vane wheel to the other. This arrangement although it hypothetically utilizes to the best advantage the energy of the actuating fluid due to its pressure, results in inefficient worklng due to losses ar1s1ng from an incomplete utilization of the energy of the actuating fluid due to its velocity.

In carrying the present invention into practice, a turbine comprising a single vane wheel having vanes of the kind used in impulse or in combined impulse and reaction turbines, is provided with two concentric sets of vanes respectively curved in opposite directions. In the casing or cylinder inclosing this wheel two annular chambers are provided corresponding to the two sets of vanes and arranged co-a-xially and preferably laterally thereto. The actuating pressurefluid is supplied to either of these chambers, at will, by a convenient form of multiple-way or like valve, and a convenient number of nozzles spaced around each chamber, open from the interior of the chamber against the corresponding sets of vanes. Now, in such a turbine, inorder to utilize the kinetic energy of the actuating fluid to the best advantage, the vane wheel must revolve at a very high speed and, consequently, it is necessary, in many cases, to provide a suitable arrangement of speed reducing gearing between the vane wheel shaft of the turbine and the machine or instrument driven thereby. For this purpose a small pinion or gear wheel is mounted on the main shaft and engages with a large gear wheel mounted on an auxiliary shaft rotating in bearings provided therefor in the turbine casing so as to provide a self-contained turbine engine which can be coupled directly to an ordinary machine or instrument to be driven thereby, such as, for example, a ships propeller shaft, a crane or winding drum, a

vehicle driving axle or the like.

Thus the present improved turbine con1- prises a single vane wheel having two sets of vanes, two delivery nozzles or sets of nozzles arranged in combination with the vanes to form a reversing turbine, valve for supplying steam to one or other of the nozzles or sets of nozzles, at will, and an auxiliary shaft mounted in bearings provided on the turbine casing and connected to the vane wheel shaft by speed reducing gearing. By this arrangement a revers ingturbine is provided in which the vane wheel rotates at an extremely high velocity to utilize, with the highest possible degree of efliciency, the energy of the actuating fluid due to' its velocity, and which can nevertheless, as a selfcontained engine, be coupled directly by rea son of the provision of the auxiliary shaft and speed reducing gearing, to a propeller shaft, winding drum or other like mechanism.

In the accompanying drawing which shows how our said invention may be conveniently and advantageously carried into practice, Figure 1 shows a central longitudinal section of a turbine embodying the present improvements. Fig. 2 is a perspective view of one of the double-vaned elements from which the vane-wheel is built up. Fi 3 shows a'longitudinal section of part of a turbine constructed with a modified arrangement of reversing valve. Fig. 4- is a diagram illustrating a further modified form of reversing valve. Fig. 5 is a diagram leading to the member of which is indicated at w.

illustrating a modified construction of vanewheel hereinafter referred to.

, Referring to Fig. 1, a is the hub of a vane wheel mounted on a shaft, Z), and carrying at its periphery a number of double-vaned elements each comprising a pair of oppositely directed vanes 0, (Ho form when built up on the wheel two concentric sets of oppositely curved vanes. I Each double-varied elementmay'be conveniently made in the form orshape shown in Fig. 2. Steam or-other actuating fluid is conducted to these vanes through passages or channels provided between concentric conical shells c with helical or inclined ribs f extending into the spaces between them as shown in Fig. 1, so as to form sets of nozzles g, it, which discharge the actuating fluid against the vanes in the required direction. The actuating fluid is supplied to these sets of nozzles alternatively from separate annular chambers i, j, to either of which the said actuating fluid is admitted from a supply pipe by a valve Z. Thisvalve l, is provided with ports m, n, 0, establishing communication between the supply pipe'lc and ports p, q,

annular chambers z', j, respectively. The. actuating fluid after passing through the vanes enters an exhaust chamber 1" through a port 8 from which it is led away by the exhaust pipe '0. The vane wheel shaft 6 has mounted thereon a pair of helical gear-wheels u, u engaging with corresponding helical gear wheels 0, 42 faston an auxiliary shaft w mounted in suitable bearings provided in the turbine casing.

This auxiliary shaft transmits the power developed by the engine to the machine to be driven, through a suitable coupling one In the position of the valve Z shown in Fig. 1, the actuating fluid passes from the pipe is through the ports a, 0, Q into the chamber j from whence it is discharged through the nozzles it against the vanes d for rotation in one direction. The direction of rotation is reversed by turning the valve Z so that the port m registers with the supply pipe 71? whereby the port 11. is brought into register with the port 79 and the actuating fluid is admitted to the annular chamber 2' and nozzles g by whichit is discharged against the vanes c. By turningthe valve Z so that neither of the ports m, n registers with the supply pipe 70 the supply of actuating fluid is cut off from the'engine entirely.

The-double-vaned element shown in Fig. 2 comprises a shank portion 3/ which is socuredto the hub a by any usual or convenient means. The oppositely curved vanes a, (Z are bounded in a radial direction, and also separated from each other, by segmental portions 2. which in the completed wheel 7 form continuous rims. This construction of vane wheel is found to be very convenient but it is not an essential part of the present invention as any other suitable construction of wheel with two oppositely directed sets of vanes, may be substituted therefor. For example as shown in Fig. 5, the hub a may be provided with two sets of doubleva-ned elements 0, d arranged on opposite sides of a stationary set of similar doublevaned elements 0, (1 arranged on a suitable part of the engine casing. Each of these double-vaned elements is similar to that shown in Fig. 2. The vanes 0 are however turned in the same direction while the vane 0 is turned in the opposite direction, and the vanes d, d are likewise turned in opposite directions. It is obvious that this form of construction can be extended to comprise any number of rotary sets of vanes with interposed stationarysets of vanes.

The particular form of the nozzle 9, h is immaterial so long as the actuating fluid is discharged thereby in one direction against the vanes c and in the other direction against the vanes d, therefore, in lieu of the construction of nozzles shown in Fig. 1, separate tubular nozzles of the well-known type may be provided leading from separate apertures in the walls of the chambers i, 7' and arranged to discharge the actuating fluid in opposite directions, respectively.

In the modified form of Valve shown in Fig. 3, the actuating fluid is admitted from the supply pipe k through the ports m, n to the ports 7), g respectively under the control of a valve Z. When this valve is in its mid-position both the ports ,g are closed as will be readily understood y a consideration of this figure.

Analternative arrangement of valve shown in Fig. 4 comprises a slide valve Z which is shown in its mid-position closing both of the ports 72, g. By'moving this valve toward the left the port 31 is opened and by moving it toward the right the port q isopened.

In a turbine engine constructed as hereinabove set forth, the vane wheel and its shaft rotate at an extremely high speed whereby the kinetic energy of the actuatin fluid is utilized inthe most eflicient an economical manner, while at the same time the direction of rotation can be readily and quickly reversed, and the'engine works with substantially the same efiiciency in either direction. Moreover, by the'provision of the auxiliary shaft to and gearing u, 0, within the casing of the engine itself, the latter can be employed to drive a propeller shaft,

winding-drum, vehicle axle, or the like without the employment of any detached gearmg, resultmg in an economy" in the space occupied by the engine-and a mechanism driven thereby, and in the labor and in the cost P s ine to such driven mechanism.

Having now particularly described the nature of our invention and the manner of its operation, what we claim is:

1. A reversible steam-turbine, comprising, in combination, a single vane" wheel with two sets of oppositely curved vanes, said vane wheel being mounted on a flexible shaft, distributing ports registering wit-h one of said sets of vanes, distributing ports registering with the other of said sets of vanes, all of said distributing ports being positioned on one side of said vane wheel, a single valve controlling the admission of the driving medium to said distributing ports an auxiliary shaft and a speed-reducing gearing connecting said auxiliary shaft to the vanewheel shaft.

2. A reversible steam-turbine, comprising, in combination, a single vane wheel mounted on a flexible shaft and carrying two sets of vanes curved in one direction and two sets of vanes curved in the opposite direction a series of guide vanes arranged on a suitable part of the engine casing between said rotating vanes, distributing ports on one side of the vane wheel, a valve controlling said distributing ports, an auxiliary shaft and a speed-reducing gearing connecting said auxiliary shaft to the vane-wheel shaft.

In testimony whereof we have signed our names to this specification in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

GUSTAF DE LAVAL. ERNST ELIS FRIDOLF FAGERSTRGM.

Witnesses BIRGER NORDFELDT, HEDWIG MELINDER.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, I). C. 

